Wreck

When the NASCAR Nationwide Series pulled into Chicagoland Speedway, Danica Patrick was at home. Literally. The Roscoe, Ill., native calls Chicago home and a win at the track nestled just outside the city would be extra special.

While the Nationwide Series had an off weekend, Danica Patrick set her sights on another new adventure. Invited by team owner Tony Stewart, Patrick headed to Rossburg, Ohio and Eldora Speedway for the eighth annual Prelude To The Dream, a Dirt Late Model Race with proceeds benefiting Feed The Children on June 6th.

The weekend started off well for Patrick, finishing ninth in the only practice and qualifying ninth in a field that included only one Cup driver (Kurt Busch). The Cup regulars and Truck series drivers were in Charlotte, so many chose not to pull double duty.

The Lady in Black had a date with the Lady in Green this weekend at Darlington Raceway, better known as the track “too tough to tame.” Danica Patrick was set to make her first start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since Daytona and all eyes were on her.

In January, on the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway, Danica Patrick announced she would skip the Indianapolis 500 in order to race in the Coca-Cola 600. This came as a surprise to many, as it had been rumored her contract to drive full-time for JR Motorsports allowed her to take time off to run the famous race she always spoke fondly of but never won (her highest finish was third in 2009).

She strutted into the media center for her availability, wearing beads she received while on Talladega Boulevard, a traditional fan and driver favorite hangout while at the superspeedway. Not one to miss a sponsor plug, she told the media they would have to go to to godaddy.com to find out how she got them.

For the first time since Danica Patrick announced she was switching from IndyCar to NASCAR, the biggest story out of Richmond this weekend was not the driver of the No. 7 GoDaddy Chevrolet. Extreme sports rock star Travis Pastrana made his debut in the series after putting it off for a year when he broke his ankle and foot at the X Games last year.